Direct Payments Help for Practitioners

We think Direct Payments are good for everyone as they give more choice and control over a person’s care and support. This is whether they are a child or an adult with disabilities or long term impairments, a carer, a family member or part of their support network in a social or professional capacity.

How we can support you

As a service, we want to help social workers and other lead professionals feel more confident about delivering good outcomes for their clients. We want to help you support parents, carers and individuals to understand, set up and manage Direct Payments for care and support needs.

For example, this means we can come with you on a joint visit to help you explain Direct Payments, whilst working directly with the families or individuals to help them think about the care and support they’d like to get, from whom and how they would like to it managed.

If you need advice finalising a costing we can provide this. We offer advice on London Living Wage and payroll related issues.

Find out more about how we support our clients on the other Direct Payments pages, and see the FAQs.

How to get started

Although Direct Payments can seem quite complicated, even daunting, once you take those first few steps it gets much clearer. Once you have set up a Direct Payment once it becomes much easier.

The simplest way to get started is just to get in touch with us via the Advice Line.

Advice Line hours

Monday to Friday between 10.30am and 3.30pm.

Call 020 7001 2188 (Please leave a message if the line is busy)

Send an email to lLS.advice@real.org.uk

Visit our offices at Jack Dash House, 2 Lawn House Close, E14 9YQ.

What professionals say about our Direct Payments team

“Thank you so much. You are just so amazing and fast.”

“Thank you for your contact and being so helpful, very much appreciated.”

“A and B were brilliant at getting back to me very promptly and helped me with some costing over the email which helped a lot.”

“Can I take this opportunity to thank you, your involvement was very important.”

“I’m really impressed with the quality of service you guys provide.”

“It has been a pleasure to work with B in this case, without his input the outcome of the enquiry would not have been achieved!”

“Can I just say, I’m really impressed with the prompt and thorough service you have provided today. Thanks very much guys.”

“Many thanks for all your expertise and patience in helping to resolve this really complicated monitoring query. I have appreciated all the time you have spent on this and how we have worked well to achieve the right outcome.”